Though more ink was spilled over the potential of a Call Me By Your Name sequel than anything Luca Guadagnino has worked on since the original film’s release, it’s not entirely surprising that the director seems to be walking away from the project after sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Armie Hammer surfaced. Guadagnino has now officially confirmed he’s putting his focus on other projects.
“The truth of the matter is, my heart is still there, but I’m working on [Bones and All] now, and I’m hopefully going to do Scarface soon, and I have many projects and so will focus on this side of the Atlantic and the movies I want to make,” he tells Deadline.
He’s also revealed an expanded cast for Bones and All, which finds him reteaming with Timothée Chalamet, who stars alongside Taylor Russell in the adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’ novel by A Bigger Splash writer Dave Kajganich. The 1980s-set story follows Maren Yearly who is on a cross-country trip with Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter, as “she searches for the father she’s never met in an attempt to understand why she has the urge to kill and eat the people that love her.”
Another Call Me By Your Name star has now joined the cast, Michael Stuhlbarg, along with Mark Rylance, André Holland, Jessica Harper, Chloe Sevigny, Francesca Scorsese, and director David Gordon Green. “This character is something very new for [Chalamet], both endearing and heartbreaking,” says the director, adding “I’ve been a fan of Taylor Russell since I saw her in Waves, and I made it a point to myself to make sure we found something to do together. When I read the script, I went straight to her because she is such a bright, sensible actress. This is a very romantic story, about the impossibility of love and yet, the need for it. Even in extreme circumstances. Timmy and Taylor have this power, this gleaming power, to portray these universal feelings.”
In exciting news, the film will be shot by Arseni Khachaturan, who was the cinematographer of last year’s stunning Georgian Oscar entry Beginning. “I’ve been totally influenced by the American culture, American cinema and now, American landscape, so I’m very happy and proud that I’ve finally come to this shore,” adds Guadagnino. “The last few months have been amazing for me, getting to know this part of the country, which is beautiful and unseen.”
Bones and All is now shooting in Ohio and will likely premiere in 2022. Read our recent interview with the director here.